This book is about small towns and how vital a library can be for many of the residents. It’s also about friendship and the power of a GROUP OF VOICES COMING TOGETHER!!!

The small town Chalcot library is one of a handful of libraries that has been threatened with closure. There is just so much money that the council has to disperse. It’s thought that perhaps a mobile library or volunteer library would provide the residents with the books that they want and/or need.

Of course what they don’t know is how much more a library means to people!

This library is a place to learn and study for a homeschooled child, a place where an immigrant can begin to start a new life with guidance, access to lots of helpful books and the internet. And of course a place for the townspeople to see each other and stay together as a community!!

Led by Mrs. Bransworth, the most outspoken (and I mean that very literally) member of a loyal group of library users, there are petitions, protests and even a “sit in” at the library.

There are some things going on with the council that will come as a surprise to the residents as well as the reader.

As much as I wanted to love this book I found the plot to be rather predictable. The characters were an interesting group and it was great to see June finally decide to pursue an education and a life outside of this small town.

If you are looking for a cozy book and a light, entertaining read then this might be just the book for you!

This novel is set to publish on August 31, 2021.

I received an ARC of this novel from the publisher through NetGalley.

June is the quintessential librarian, who loves her job, her anti-social cat, Alan Bennett (named after the British playwright) and her routines-like her weekly takeaway of Chicken in black bean sauce, from the “Golden Dragon”.

She may be quiet, as she shelves the books that she imagines are whispering their stories to each other, but she always remembers her patrons names, associating them with the books they choose to borrow.

So, she is devastated when she learns that the City Council is planning to close the Charcot library where she works, following in her Mother’s footsteps, after she died a few years ago.

The Patrons are outraged as well, and they form a committee called F-O-C-L (pronounced Fock All ) which stands for Friends of Charcot Library, with one goal-to save it from being closed.

They are disappointed that June, won’t join, especially her friend, the dapper Stanley Phelps, but what they don’t know is that she will lose her job if she does. After finally, confessing this to her childhood friend, Alex, who is in town briefly to help his parents run the “Golden Dragon”, they devise a plan for June to help the group secretly.

Code Name: Matilda-named for the fierce, book loving girl from Roald Dahl’s beautifully illustrated children’s book, of the same name.

June learns to find her voice for the first time, with a little help from her friends-but will it be loud enough?
And, will it be in time?

This book started quietly, like June, but by the end, it had packed quite the emotional punch!

A wonderful DEBUT from Freya Sampson, who lives in London with her husband, two children, and her own, antisocial cat! 😼

I would like to thank Elisha at Berkley for providing a gifted ARC through NetGalley!
It was my pleasure to offer a candid review!

Available August 31, 2021

Some books are lovely warm hugs just waiting for you between two cheerful covers. Freya Sampson’s, The Last Chance Library, is a hug. Go in for it and go in hard.
Most people who love books love libraries and have library stories. I always think about my local library which was a second home for so many children in our neighborhood before the pandemic. One of our children’s librarians used to have a stack of books picked out to put in one of my kid’s hand before they finished walking through the entrance, takes neighborhood kids trick or treating, and even shows up at their softball games over the summer.
Libraries, however, are more than just places to get books. They serve as community centers. This is where adults can learn to read, where they can file their taxes or sign up for health care or naturalization. This is where overwhelmed mothers can come for a break or where kids can make crafts or watch a movie if they don’t want to go home to an empty house – or a very full one for that matter.
The Last Chance library in this book is a community library that is come under threat. The library’s staunchest supporters begin to organize for its survival all except the one person who has needed the library the most. June Jones, a quiet woman who has not moved on from mourning the death of her mother, will lose her workplace and the center of her world if the library goes under. However, years of inertia have taken their toll and it takes an extraordinary strength of will for June to break out of the shell she’s grown herself into all these years.
Sampson gives us all the perfect argument to present when we need to defend the existence of libraries. It’s obvious she values the role they play in the lives of both bookish people and the larger community. Her cast of side characters are beautifully fleshed without becoming caricatures. It’s difficult to watch someone sitting out their lives and Sampson presents June honestly but not without sympathy. The ending brings both tears and smiles and hopefully will inspire you to visit your local library to say Thank You.

I'm a sucker for a "save-the-library" premise, so I was thrilled to read this one. June Jones is a charming recluse that I easily relate to. This was a wonderful book with a good underdog story. Recommend to librarians, library workers, and anyone else that holds the library near and dear to their heart.
*Not to be extremely nit-picky, she's a library assistant, not a librarian as stated in the description. This doesn't take away from the story/plot at all.

3.5
A sweet story that would appeal to anyone who loves the library. This book particularly speaks to patrons who frequent libraries and to those who work there. It showcases the ways in which a library can transform and help communities. The main character of June Jones is quiet and diligent in her work, yet in many ways she is "stuck" in life. She slowly grows in self-confidence and purpose as she matures during through the action of the novel. I feel that some of the characters were a bit too cliche and some plot parts are a bit coincidental and convenient, but this is an entertaining light read with great book references.

June has spent her whole life in her town library, first as a child with her Mom working there and now she works there herself. In fact her whole life is the library so when the library is threatened with being shut down June is at a loss. What will she do? But is she brave enough to do something to save the library? A love story to libraries and all that they are to their communities.

June Jones is the quintessential librarian (although she’s only 30). The shy woman would much rather spend her time with books than people.
But when the library is threatened with closure, it’s time for June to come out of her shell and join the rest of the library regulars in keeping the library open.
For the first time since the death of her mother, June finds herself making friends and even possibly finding a romantic man of her dreams.
A wonderful read for book lovers.

Everyone LOVES their library, this is no different in a small English town where budget cuts are coming. June must break out of her timid shell and work with the community to try and save their beloved library. Protests, sit-ins and stripers are all creative ways to bring attention to the plight of this small English library. Can June and her community save the library or will it become a chain coffee shop? So much to relate to in this story. Characters are full and vibrant and easy to love. June's transformation is also a delight to witness as she learns who and what she is passionate about in her life.

A wonderful feel good story about learning who we are and how to be brave enough to live our true selves.

The Last Chance Library is a love letter to libraries and all those who find sanctuary, solace, and inspiration within the walls of libraries and in the pages of books. Freya Sampson has written a beautiful and heart-warming novel with eccentric and entertaining characters that will stay with you long after you've read the last page. This novel is charming, humorous, and adorable! Through the story of a small-town library at risk of closure and a shy, socially awkward library assistant, Sampson's novel proves that it is never too late to take a chance, find your voice, and fight for what you want and what you believe in. I loved reading The Last Chance Library and it brought me back to my early memories of going to the library as a child. I can't wait to read more from this debut author. Thank you to Berkley Publishing and NetGalley for giving me a chance to read this novel.

The Last Chance Library was both funny and heart warming and it made me think about my own life and encouraged me to be brave and do the right thing even when it's hard.

This was a cute but highly predictable book. I love books about books, saving books, reading books, working with books...you get the point. This one just seemed a bit cliche for my taste.

Whenever I see a book about a library, I am IN! Saving a library in jeopardy of closing? Yes! In fact, the tiny library in my hometown was almost shut down several times when I was growing up. It’s still open to this day!

June, a library assistant, is grieving the loss of her mother (who also worked at the library). She’s still living in her mom’s home and does not venture out too often except for work. She’s quiet and bookish. When budget cuts threaten to close the beloved Chalcot Library, the community must rally. Protests attract the attention of local news outlets, especially when a stripper shows up at one.

The cast of characters is diverse and charming. June must learn to use her voice after 28 years of hiding in the background. There is a small element of romance with June’s old high school friend Alex, but overall I didn’t see this book as a romance, more contemporary fiction. I loved it! I related to June’s love for books and dread of being in the spotlight. It’s a testament to the fact that family is not defined by blood relation, but the people who love and support you.

I fear this story foreshadows what may happen to more and more libraries in the future - which is why it’s so important that we keep supporting our libraries! A fantastic debut that I’d recommend to anyone who likes novels about libraries/hilarious British characters/themes of family and acceptance. This book is a hug.

I was prepared to give this a solid 4 stars but the ending…. My heart ❤️

Favorite debut of 2021?!

The Last Chance Library was a pleasant surprise. I thought it was going to be a romance book about the main character but it turned out to be more then that. In face the romance was in the background for the most part. It was more about letting love ones go, and redemption, forgiveness and how a community who needs a library can come together and moving on with your life. The book had some twists and turns I did not expect. I took off a star for a few reasons, mostly because there is this one character that cusses like a sailor and it was not necessary. But overall it was good book.

My thanks to NetGalley for making an eARC of this book available to me.

Mildly enjoyable. I do like a book about saving small town libraries. However, the whole "mousey librarian" thing has been done and overdone. The romance aspect of this book was pretty mild, but the quirky villagers were entertaining. Give this one a try if you love your local little library.

I was torn between giving this book 3 or 4 stars. The first half felt like a 3-star read, while the second pulled me in more. I think anyone who appreciates libraries and/or found families will enjoy this story. Although there are romantic elements to the story, I would have expected it to be categorized as general fiction rather than romance. Overall, I'll recommend it as an easy read with some fun characters and a happy ending.

Loved this book! The characters were so real and engaging. And there were so many great yet different personalities represented in here. Also the story itself was moving, funny and just heartfelt.

The Last Chance Library is a refuge for June Jones, library assistant and a cast of diverse characters in the small village of Chalcot. Suffering from depression and extreme shyness, June can't move beyond the death of her mother to cancer. Living in the same home and not having changed a thing since her mother's passing, June is in denial about the fact that she is 28 years old and has yet to begin her own life. When the Chalcot library is threatened with closure, June is mortified, how will she cope with life without the library? The cast of library patrons each with their own reasons for needing the library, rally to save the place and in the end, they save June too. A lovely read with a satisfying but predictable ending. A feel good beach read for the summer.

Great Sampson pens an excellent foreshadowing of what may be the future of many libraries. With technology as widely vailable to so many, libraries are not visited as much. I enjoyed The Last Chance Library and the efforts of the patrons to 'restore it in the community.